Warhol's Prophecy

‘All right, calm down,’ said Marsh quietly.

‘I’m telling you,’ Rob persisted. ‘Ten minutes and I’m calling the police.’

‘I’m sure there’s a perfectly simple explanation for why she’s not here.’

‘Then tell me what it is,’ Rob hissed.

Somewhere behind them, there was a sound of breaking crockery, followed by a loud cheer.

Both men turned and saw two members of Waterhole gathered around a couple of broken plates lying on the parquet, each pointing an accusatory finger at the other. They were laughing, ignoring the food that had spilled onto the floor.

Rob looked at them with something akin to disgust, then returned his attention to Marsh.

‘I’d better have a word with them,’ said Marsh, moving away.

Rob didn’t speak. Merely watched him make his way across the crowded ballroom towards the two band members, where he was joined by Ray Taylor. The band’s manager was sipping a Bacardi and Coke, looking on silently and grinning.

Becky pulled at Rob’s hand. ‘Dad, I’ve got to go to the loo,’ she told him. ‘Will you come with me?’

He nodded. Together they threaded their way through the maze of party-goers, Rob occasionally nudging people aside in his annoyance.

The toilets were in the main foyer, through a set of white double-doors.

‘I’ll wait here, babe,’ he said, standing outside the door marked LADIES.

Becky entered, almost knocked over by a tall young woman in her mid-twenties who was emerging.

Rob registered the dark make-up, the black-painted nails, the long skirt, slit to the thigh, the laced-up boots beneath.

Trudi, without the ‘e’, gazed blankly at him and wiped her nose with her thumb and forefinger, sniffing loudly.

‘Great party,’ she said, running appraising eyes over him.

He nodded.

A moment later Jenny Kenton appeared, pushing her dark glasses back on her nose. She too sniffed loudly.

‘You missed some,’ said Rob disdainfully, pointing to some fine grains of white powder around one of her nostrils.

The former actress wiped away the residue and strode off in the direction of the ballroom, Trudi in tow.

He could hear them laughing as the double-doors swung shut behind them.

Becky emerged, hurrying across to her father.

Rob put a protective arm around her shoulders and prepared to lead her back into the ballroom. Then he remembered that he’d seen a row of phones in the foyer as they’d entered.

He looked at his watch.

Six minutes, and he’d call the police.

Might as well wait.

‘Shall we go for a walk before we go back in?’ he said, taking Becky’s hand.

‘Perhaps we’ll see Mum,’ Becky offered.

‘Perhaps we will,’ murmured Rob.

112

THERE HAD TO be some way of warning them.

That was Hailey’s only thought as she walked from the car with Adam Walker.

There had to be.

She glanced down once or twice at the small case he carried, shuddering each time she thought about its deadly cargo.

The well-lit facade of the Pavilion Hotel shone like a beacon in the darkness, and she also saw the lights glinting on the bodywork of dozens of cars parked outside. They belonged mostly to guests at the party going on inside. A party that was about to become a bloodbath.

Unless she could stop him.

But how?

He had one of the pistols jammed into his belt on his left hip, hidden from prying eyes by the folds of his jacket. He carried the case in his left hand, too.

They were close to the steps that led up to the main entrance now, and Hailey saw two burly security men standing there.

Tell them? Scream? Shout to them that this man is carrying a gun?

‘If you open your mouth I’ll kill you, and them,’ Walker hissed under his breath, touching the butt of the automatic to reinforce the threat.

‘You’re going to do it anyway,’ she rasped. ‘Why wait?’

‘Just keep walking,’ he instructed.

The security men stepped aside as they saw Hailey and Walker, one of them even ushering the newcomers towards the ballroom.

Walker smiled graciously. They continued on through the foyer.

‘Please don’t do this, Adam,’ Hailey said, her voice cracking.

He didn’t answer.

There were two more security men on the doors that led into the ballroom: big-built men in dark suits.

Hailey showed them her VIP laminate. Walker did the same.

Beyond the doors, she could hear music, talking, laughter.

‘Adam,’ she said, looking straight into his eyes. ‘I’m begging you: don’t do this. My husband and daughter are in there – you know that. Please don’t do this.’

She looked at the security men. Saw Walker’s left hand move towards his left hip.

‘No,’ she gasped.

‘Is something wrong?’ one of the security men asked.

The taller of the two men took a step towards her.

‘No!’ Hailey screamed at the top of her voice.

Walker turned, pulling the Steyr from his belt.

To Hailey it was as if the entire world had slowed down. As if every movement was in slow motion.

She saw Walker pull the Steyr free . . . saw him shoot the taller security guard in the face . . . saw the bullet shatter bone, tear through his skull and explode from the back of his head, carrying away a flux of brain matter and blood.

The guard had barely hit the floor when Walker shot the other man, pumping two bullets into his chest. The first of them shattered his sternum, the second burst one lung and erupted from his back. A huge crimson slick of blood splashed across the wall as the second bullet exited. It looked as if someone had thrown red paint at the brickwork.

The guard slumped to the ground.

Hailey took her chance. She launched herself at Walker, but he saw her clumsy attack too soon.

He slammed the butt of the automatic against her forehead, throwing her backwards through the doors into the ballroom.

Hailey felt pain filling her skull. Unconsciousness began to envelop her.

Pushing open the doors, he stepped past her, opening the case with the guns inside.

Through a haze of pain, Hailey saw him pull the MP5 free. She saw him slam in one of the magazines.

The Steyr in one hand, the sub-machine-gun in the other, he stood gazing at the throng of people before him.

For what seemed like an eternity, no one moved.

Every pair of eyes in the place was fixed on Walker.

And on the weapons he held.

The silence was unearthly.